Beethoven
Musical period: Classical/Romantic
Ahh, Beethoven. The seventh symphony alone catapults him into the classical hall of fame. But he is difficult to get into, especially for an amateur listener- in fact, I’m still not a fully-fledged member of the fandom myself. The problem is that a lot of the satisfaction the professionals draw from Beethoven’s music seems to be buried in his structural and harmonic innovations, which, as great as they may be, are often inaccessible for the untrained. However, there are still enough of his works which can capture the heart and mind with a few listens alone, that I have seen fit to include him in this guide. At his best, Beethoven swings easily between fiery, sugar-sweet, thoughtful and transcendental. It is a style difficult to characterise, except as ferociously innovative.
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Easy
Für Elise
Moonlight Sonata- By a long way the most accessible of Beethoven’s piano sonatas, and probably the best gateway. Groundbreakingly meditative in the first movement, inexplicably sugary in the second, and deliciously tempestuous in the last.
Pathétique Sonata, 3rd movement- A mischievous movement. Not a typical Beethoven mood by a long stretch, but a fun way to get to know him.
7th Symphony, 2nd movement- Watch, if you haven’t already, Colin Firth’s King George VI conquering his stutter to this beautifully tragic piece. It features the battle of two melodies: one, appropriately enough, a slow, stammering funeral march, and the other supple and lyrical.
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Intermediate
The rest of the 7th Symphony- The first movement is usually overshadowed by the famous second; I’m never sure why, when it sounds like the creation of the world. The third and the fourth are delightfully boisterous bacchanals.
The rest of the Pathétique Sonata- The first movement starts off rather intimidatingly, but soon settles into one of Beethoven’s delightfully adventurous romps. The second movement is gentle, pretty.
Piano Concerto 5, 2nd movement- This movement features one of my favourite moments in Beethoven’s orchestral works (outside the 7th symphony); the little rising sequence in bars 7-10 are absolutely heartbreaking. Beethoven in one of his more lyrical moods.
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Harder
Well… the rest of Beethoven’s work, really. The other piano sonatas are hard to get into; perhaps try starting with the Appassionata, then the Tempest, then Les Adieux, as stepping-stones. The greatest of them all, perhaps, is what YouTuber Ashish Xiangyi Kumar describes perfectly as the ‘the weird, titanic, gnarled, joyous, grief-stricken monster that is the Hammerklavier,’ which defies all easy categorisation; that it tells a terrible, terrible story of madness, of Hamletian or Learian proportions, is all that I have really been able to draw from it. Check out Brendel’s incredible 1970 performance; it’s one of the few moments in my life where I’ve considered a piano performance just perfect (Brendel’s is all about frighteningly restrained madness, but if you want raw, in-your-face madness, try Richter’s 1975 recording; I’d say listen to both recordings before you risk dismissing the Hammerklavier). If you like the Hammerklavier, try Beethoven’s last three piano sonatas; the last is particularly well-known for its sublime second movement, which, oddly enough, features a stupidly futuristic boogie-woogie variation. Among Beethoven’s less famous sonatas, try the ‘Funeral March’ sonata, Sonata 11 and Sonata 2.
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The piano concerti are pleasant, agreeable works, and easy enough to listen to. The symphonies in my opinion vary in quality, but you’re welcome to try them all if you have a different ear. The late string quartets are extraordinarily difficult listens but groundbreaking in style and interesting to explore.